"Hmm, there are actually three Mist Beasts? No, this one lacks the magical power of the one lying on the ground.
In other words, a mere imitation, and you still dare challenge me?"
Though the White Whale's clone didn't match the original in strength, its massive body, over fifty meters long, was undeniably real.
Regardless of its magical power or abilities, its sheer size alone, crashing down, could crush even the sturdiest beastman to a pulp in an instant.
"Hundred Ghosts Sword Style, One-Sword Technique — Jorogumo!"
As the clone, resembling a giant airborne yacht, lunged toward him, Wood stood his ground, gripping his knight's sword tightly.
Black Armament Haki spread from his arm, like a climbing vine, swiftly coating the knight's sword in a pitch-black layer.
As the blade moved, streaks of blue were left behind in the air, forming an enormous web of slashes in front of Wood.
Wood moved so quickly that most onlookers couldn't even see his arm swing. When the White Whale's clone charged toward Wood, it hadn't anticipated the sudden appearance of the blue web.
Driven by instinct, the clone sensed danger. However, it was too late to stop, and all it could do was trust its durable white fur to protect it as it crashed forward!
Blood splattered as the clone's massive body collided with the web of slashes. Its white fur, which was resistant to both magic and physical attacks, offered no protection this time.
The colossal clone was instantly shredded, its body dismembered into huge chunks of flesh, like blocks of tofu, falling from the sky.
Everyone who witnessed this scene stood in utter shock.
Ordinary swords could only leave faint marks on the White Whale's tough exterior. Even "Sword Demon" Wilhelm, a formidable warrior, could only wound it without causing any truly lethal damage.
But now, what were they seeing? One of the Three Great Beasts, a creature that had wreaked havoc for over 400 years, was dismantled in the blink of an eye!
Though the clones were not as powerful as the original, their physical strength was nearly identical, except for their lack of advanced regenerative abilities.
With one clone eliminated, Wilhelm quickly dispatched the other, which was already badly injured.
As Wilhelm landed, he looked at the dismembered clone and the unconscious body of the White Whale, his expression complicated.
No one knew better than Wilhelm how powerful the White Whale was; after all, his wife, Theresia, had died at its hands.
Over the years, Wilhelm had tirelessly honed his swordsmanship while searching for the White Whale's whereabouts.
He knew all too well that compared to a long-lived magical beast, a human's lifespan was brief, as were their peak years of strength.
When he received news of the White Whale from Julius, Wilhelm had believed that, with his power and the support of the Karsten family, he could finally avenge his wife.
However, when he faced the White Whale, Wilhelm realized just how naive his hopes had been.
The White Whale could split itself into two powerful clones, and he could barely handle even these two, let alone defeat the original.
When the Sin Archbishop of Sloth from the Witch's Cult intervened, Wilhelm understood that this hunt was doomed to fail.
Even when Crusch ordered a retreat, Wilhelm had no intention of leaving.
The reason was simple. Though the White Whale appeared often, tracking it was a challenging task due to its abilities.
At his age, Wilhelm wasn't sure he'd have another chance to face the creature that had killed his wife.
When Crusch ordered the withdrawal, Wilhelm chose to stay and fight to the death.
He had made up his mind before coming here—if he couldn't kill the White Whale, he would die trying.
Unfortunately, the White Whale's strength exceeded his expectations, and his aging body couldn't even manage a mutual destruction.
While Wilhelm battled the two clones in the mist, determined to at least kill them to buy time for Crusch and the others to escape, the thick mist around them was suddenly dispersed.
To Wilhelm's disbelief, when the mist cleared, the original White Whale lay before a young man, its horn broken and its fate uncertain.
In his daze, one of the clones slipped past his attacks and charged at the young man on the ground.
Wilhelm didn't know how the original had been taken down, but seeing Wood standing by its side, he was certain this young man had something to do with it.
For such a young knight to defeat the White Whale was a remarkable feat. Wilhelm assumed the knight must be exhausted, and if the clone's sneak attack succeeded, he wouldn't even get a chance to repay the favor.
But just as Wilhelm abandoned everything, disregarding the other clone attacking from behind in his attempt to save Wood, the young knight he thought was spent suddenly made a move—
In the next instant, Wilhelm was stunned to see that the knight on the ground didn't need any help.
The clone that had given Wilhelm such a hard time couldn't withstand even a single strike from Wood and was cut into pieces!
Wilhelm had once been called the "Sword Demon," and before the current Sword Saint Reinhard had risen, he was the strongest swordsman in Lugnica. Even his wife, the former Sword Saint Theresia, couldn't defeat him.
Though old age had weakened him, Wilhelm was certain that his swordsmanship was still among the top three in all of Lugnica, apart from Reinhard and a select few others.
Yet here was Wood, a young man with such formidable strength and skill, whom Wilhelm had never even heard of.
"I am Wilhelm van Astrea. Thank you for helping us defeat the Mist Beast. May I ask for your name?"
The old swordsman landed before Wood, offering a small bow as a show of utmost respect.
Regardless of Wood's origins or age, his strength and his role in defeating the White Whale made him worthy of Wilhelm's gratitude.
"I am Wood Hoxen. There's no need for thanks—I didn't come here to hunt the Mist Beast or the Sin Archbishop. I came because I was worried about my sister. Helping you was just a coincidence."
Unaware of Wilhelm's personal grudge against the White Whale, Wood was puzzled by the gratitude and had no time to chat with Wilhelm.
"The Witch's Cult officer over there—don't you think it's a bit late to be trying to escape?"
The original White Whale had been sent flying with a kick, its clone had been sliced to pieces, and the mist had been completely dispersed. There was no way Sloth dared stay any longer.
He had thought Wood only possessed incredible physical strength and swordsmanship, but the wind magic that dispersed the mist proved otherwise.
Wood, whom Sloth had already deemed a monster, turned out to be even more monstrous than he had imagined—a real beast.
Wood not only had unparalleled physical strength and swordsmanship but also wielded inhuman levels of magical power!
Sloth himself was a spirit dwelling in a human body, and spirits were naturally more gifted with magic compared to humans.
But when Wood unleashed that wind spell, Sloth realized what true insanity was.
Seeing Wood focus on him again, Sloth lost his nerve entirely and turned to flee.
In his escape, Sloth used another of his abilities—"Sloth's Fingers."
This ability allowed him to forcibly contract others by injecting them with his Sloth Factor, gaining control over those who were highly compatible.
Those affected by the Sloth Factor became his "Fingers," capable of wielding the "Invisible Hand" authority.
However, the power and number of hands the Fingers could wield were nothing compared to Sloth himself.
Sloth wasn't hoping the Fingers could defeat Wood; he just needed them to buy him time.
The Witch's Cult members accompanying Sloth had been carefully chosen, all highly compatible with the Sloth Factor.
Under its influence, they quickly became Fingers, and, losing all reason under "Mental Pollution," they charged madly at Wood.
Sloth could control up to ten Fingers, and now he pushed his power to the limit. Ten cultists threw off their cloaks, revealing expressions of the same deranged madness as Sloth, as they used the "Invisible Hand" against Wood.
"So, this is the mighty Sin Archbishop—the same old trick, over and over again.
Quantity alone won't bring about a qualitative change! Hundred Ghosts Sword Style—Mist Phantom!"
The ten cultists turned Fingers all attacked Wood with their "Invisible Hands."
However, to their surprise, each of the purple, witch-imbued hands passed through empty air, as Wood's body dispersed like mist.
When Wood reformed, appearing behind the Fingers, the sound of a sword being sheathed echoed. All ten Fingers were instantly covered in deep slashes, blood gushing like fountains.
The ten Fingers had bought Sloth only a few seconds before they were mercilessly slain.
Just as Sloth finished preparing a teleportation spell, injecting his mana, a hand grasped his neck like a lightning strike, and the magic circle beneath him was stomped to pieces by Wood.
"I've heard the Witch's Cult holds grudges—especially lunatics like you.
To prevent you from targeting me or those close to me, I'm afraid you'll need to die right here.
Holy Attribute Magic: Divine Purification!"
Sloth struggled violently, dangling by the neck in Wood's grasp, but when a massive pillar of light rose beneath them, his strength quickly faded.
Under the pure, sacred power of the Holy Attribute, chunks of dark matter began to fall from Sloth's body, burning away into nothing under the divine light.
A beam of golden light broke through the clouds above, and a female spirit descended gracefully from the sky like an ethereal being.
The moment Sloth saw her, his once crazed expression softened, his eyes regaining clarity.
"I'm sorry, Fortuna..."
Tears streamed down Sloth's face—no, rather, the spirit named Juice—and the female spirit said nothing, only extending her hands to gently touch his face.
As they embraced and slowly dissolved into golden motes within the holy light, Sloth looked toward Wood and spoke, "Thank you for freeing me. Please, take care of Emilia for us.
Lastly, beware the Witch of Vanity—Pandora..."
With those words, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth vanished completely.
Under Wood's "Divine Purification" spell, Sloth was finally freed from the influence of the Witch Factor and "Mental Pollution," regaining his sanity at the end.
Unfortunately, his magic and spirit had been too tainted for too long. The purification process caused immense damage.
Though Sloth regained his clarity at the last moment, he wasn't able to leave much useful information before fading away into light.
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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